Key Facts
- Street length contested
- 2 miles
- Phase one dates
- January 6–9, 2007
- Phase two date
- January 24, 2007
- Total duration
- ~3 weeks (January 2007)
- Location
- Haifa Street, downtown Baghdad, Iraq
Strategic Narrative Overview
Operations unfolded in two phases. Phase one ran from January 6 to 9, 2007, with American and Iraqi Army forces engaging Sunni insurgents in close urban combat along Haifa Street. The initial effort did not fully dislodge the insurgents, prompting a second operation on January 24, 2007, in which US forces launched a more decisive push to clear the street of remaining hostile elements.
01 / The Origins
Haifa Street, a two-mile corridor in downtown Baghdad, had become a stronghold for Sunni insurgent groups during the Iraq War. By early 2007, the street represented a significant security challenge for coalition forces, as insurgents used it as a base of operations. Control of this urban artery was considered essential to stabilizing central Baghdad ahead of the broader counterinsurgency surge strategy planned for 2007.
03 / The Outcome
The January operations on Haifa Street directly preceded the broader surge of US forces into Baghdad in spring and summer 2007. The clearing operations established conditions that allowed coalition and Iraqi forces to neutralize insurgent groups in this part of the city during the surge. The battle illustrated both the difficulty of urban counterinsurgency and the operational sequencing required for the surge strategy.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.